By Dan Levine SAN FRANCISCO | Thu Jan 31, 2013 1:28pm EST SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – A U.S. appeals court on Thursday rejected Apple Inc’s request to revive its bid for a sales ban on Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus smartphone, dashing the iPhone maker’s attempt to recover crucial leverage in the global patent wars. Apple had [...]

By Erin Geiger Smith NEW YORK | Thu Jan 31, 2013 12:20pm EST NEW YORK (Reuters) – A lawsuit filed on Thursday alleges Microsoft Corp has been infringing patents that allow Internet search engines to most effectively place advertisements. I/P Engine Inc said in the suit filed in Manhattan federal court that Microsoft uses search [...]

By Alexei Oreskovic SAN FRANCISCO | Thu Jan 31, 2013 1:16pm EST SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Facebook Inc introduced gift cards on Thursday that consumers can use at Target Corp and a handful of other businesses in the social network’s latest move into the retail market. Consumers in the United States can buy the cards [...]